Talon Durla



Talon Durla, later also known as Lord Darth Bleda (49 BBY - 35 ABY), was a male Human Force sensitive who served in the navies of the Galactic Republic and the Galactic Empire. He was one of the original twelve Grand Admirals, and the first appointed, named to the rank in four BBY, two years before the other eleven. He was additionally honored by the Emperor with the title of Warlord of the Empire. He would later be the only grand admiral to survive the downfall of the Empire.

Background
Durla served as Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet from 19 BBY to 4 ABY. A veteran of the Clone Wars, he was recognized during the Imperial era as the singularly most powerful naval officer in galactic history. Likewise, he earned himself a reputation as a brilliant and ruthless fleet commander, and became one of the most feared names in the Emperor's service. He is considered to have been the prime architect of the vast expansion and modernization of the Imperial Navy, and it's rise to become the largest and most powerful navy in galactic history.

Durla was also secretly a Dark Side Adept - one of the most powerful in the Emperor's service - and believed to be one of the strongest in history. Since his youth, Durla had secretly been a follower of dark side traditions, whose family's vast wealth enabled him to indulge his studies of the Force on his own terms. Despite this, his considerable Force sensitivity gifted him a formidable grasp of the dark side outside of Sith tradition. He never spoke of his skill to anyone, not even his wife or parents, but his own considerable talent at hiding his affinity for the Force from others is part of what drew the interest of Darth Sidious.

Durla maintained the public facade of a senior naval officer who led through strength, intimidation, and ice cold logic. He was often described as ambitious, ruthless, and implacable, yet utterly loyal to the Emperor. Over a century after his death, Durla's legacy as one of the Empire's most formidable tacticians remains intact, though historians never found out that his knack for brilliant military maneuver and his ability to deftly play the political games of the Imperial Court while somehow managing to stay largely aloof was as much thanks to his skill with the Force as his considerable intelligence.

Physically, Durla stood 1.99 meters tall and was a powerfully muscular 112 kilograms. His hair was jet black and his eyes were a yellowish-green, originally very dark brown. His left arm from the elbow down was crushed in a shipboard accident during the Battle of Christophsis, and replaced with a mechano-arm by military surgeons. He always wore a black leather gauntlet over the hand, keeping its cuff inside the sleeve of his uniform tunic.

Even after the collapse of the Empire, Durla remained in the Emperor's service, fulfilling assignments on his behalf that promulgated the development of the Sith Eternal. Through his master's teachings, he would be elevated to become a member of that secretive order, essentially being made into one of the new inner circle of Sith who would serve the Emperor in spreading his dark theocracy to every corner of the galaxy.

In his last years, during the period he served as part of the Sith Eternal, Durla's hair had become heavily streaked with white, though he was still broad-shouldered and maintained a fit and trim build. At this point, he had exchanged his white grand admiral's uniform for an all-black one, over which he wore a light, flowing robe of the darkest charcoal gray. Durla died in 35 ABY, when his flagship exploded during the Battle of Exegol. To his very end, he was loyal absolutely to his Emperor, and died in his service.

Pre-Imperial Years
Durla was born on Coruscant in 49 BBY, a scion of one of wealthiest and most powerful aristocratic families in the Core, who were also one of the ancient Elder Houses. He was an only child. In 44 BBY, when he was five years old, his family refused to permit the Jedi to take him for training, due to their mistrust of the order. When the Order expressed concern about allowing a Force-sensitive child to grow up untrained, the family approached Supreme Chancellor Kalpana, and received a dispensation exempting young Talon from being taken for Jedi training.

Serving as a young but prominent commodore in the Republic Navy during the onset of the Clone Wars, Durla drew the attention of then-Supreme Chancellor Palpatine after his handling of a tense situation involving a team of Jedi Padawans who were investigating a theft of Jedi artifacts. He had two Force-sensitive Twi'leks swept away by Republic security before the Jedi could question them, and was later promoted to vice admiral and assigned by the Chancellor to accompany the Padawans as they traveled to the Outer Rim world of Auberjonsis to investigate rumors of a Separatist presence. There, the Padawans encountered Separatist leader General Grievous, and engaged Separatist battle droids. A battle squadron summoned by Durla arrived in time to turn the battle, and the group eventually returned to Coruscant.

On the capital, Durla was summoned before the Jedi Council to explain the events on Auberjonsis, where he obfuscated details in his answers to questions put before him by Mace Windu and Plo Koon. He was dismissed by the masters, who later admitted to the Padawans they wanted to more deeply investigate the young admiral, but similarly admitted they couldn't, as his closeness to Republic leadership, his family's wealth and their considerable influence, meant to dig into his background would likely provoke the Chancellor. The Padawans commented to the masters on their having noticed the apparent familiarity that Durla shared with Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker.

While the Padawans were sent off to investigate another lead in their pursuit of the artifacts thief in the Palarma system, Durla was called into private conference with Palpatine, who had come to increasingly trust in his judgment and loyalty. He was quietly brought into the Supreme Chancellor's conspiracy, and the Chancellor began to quietly train him in the ways of the Sith, building upon the admirals' already considerable dark side studies. He took to his instruction well, ravenously absorbing everything Palpatine taught him. He developed a formidable skill with both single and double-bladed lightsabers, and grew into a deadly duelist.

Rise of the Empire
After the declaration of Empire was made, Durla was made a moff and placed in charge of the admiralty, where he transmitted the following message to every vessel in the Republic Navy -

"This is Admiral Talon Durla, speaking from Coruscant with a Priority One communication to all Republican naval units. Due to an attempted Jedi revolt against the Senate and Supreme Chancellor, emergency contingencies designed to contain and neutralize this threat have been activated.  As a result, the capital is currently under lockdown and will remain so until further notice.  All units will remain at their current, assigned stations, under present orders, until further notice or unless otherwise instructed.  Any emergency situation requiring the immediate attention of Command is to be sent via secure priority channels.  Further information will be forthcoming.  End communication."

Promoted to the highest extant naval rank at that time, Durla turned his attention to capturing the team of Jedi and mercenaries that he had previously traveled with, who were still on the loose. He nearly cornered them in Corellian space, but they managed to escape despite being caught in two separate tractor beams, though this burned out their hyperdrive. He then pursued them to their calculated destination, Nar Shaddaa, where he pursued them through the ecumenopolis. He was accompanied by a squadron of elite ARC troopers. He eventually cornered them in the Upper Industrial Sector, where they finally realized the truth about him when he proved resistant to their mind manipulation. They mistakenly thought Durla one of the hidden Sith, the Emperor's latest apprentice, and he played on their fear to catch them off guard, allowing them to sense the power of the Dark Side in him.

Reaching out with the Force, Durla ripped the lightsabers from two of the Padawans belts and engaged the group. The ARC troopers stayed out of sight, ready to assist if needed. He made quick work of the two mercenaries, killing them both with their own blaster fire. He also killed the Twi'lek Jedi Dahnara by running her through with her own lightsaber, which he had plucked from her belt earlier. The other two Jedi - the Ithorian Odimo and the Human Crys - were both stunned into unconsciousness by the ARC troopers while distracted fighting Durla with improvised weapons. Disposing of the dead bodies in a trash compactor, the two subdued Jedi were taken back to Durla's ship for the return voyage to Coruscant.

Ultimately, Odimo and Crys were turned over to the Inquisitorius. Durla came occasionally to observe their torture sessions, and even participate in them. He mocked the Jedi for their refusal to admit defeat and accept the new status quo - the Empire was supreme, the Jedi were dead, the Republic was no more. They replied humorlessly that Durla, like all of the Emperor's inner circle, would inevitably fall victim to the same blindness - believing the Empire to be invincible, as was once thought of the Republic. Neither would give in to the dark side and serve the Empire, so they were ultimately killed. Durla had Odimo fed to piranha beetles, and had Crys thrown out an airlock.

Imperial Years
"The Jedi understand the force only partially. They fail to understand the fundamental nature of the Force, that it is conflict.  The Empire is conflict.  That is why it is perfect. The Empire is war made manifest.”
 * Grand Admiral Talon Durla, 3 BBY

After the collapse of the Separatist movement, the end of the Clone Wars, and the rise of the Empire, Durla quickly purged the naval command and began reshaping it into a force designed to spread the Emperor's glory and the primacy of the Empire galaxy-wide. While not as outright vicious as his compatriot, Vader, he was nevertheless ruthless in his application of naval modernization and expansion. He brooked no insubordination, and tolerated no dissent, and as the years went on, his iron grip on the Navy only tightened. He personally oversaw several of the Empire's conquests, notably the brutal annexation of Kashyyyk and the suppression of the Yevetha. Despite his formidable reputation and fearsome presence, he was highly respected by his fellow admirals, who saw his implacable logic and cold efficiency as pluses to the Navy's growing primacy. Of all the members of the Twelve, Durla was the sole grand admiral who obeyed only the commands of the Emperor; not even Vader or the Advisors could command him.

Whenever Durla traveled about the Empire, he did so aboard his personal flagship, the Executor-class star dreadnought Allegiance. It was accompanied at all times by a force of twelve Imperator II-class star destroyers known as Vanguard Squadron.

During the Imperial years, he and Darth Vader would spar on occasion to keep up their skills. Despite his considerable power, he was one of the very few in Imperial service that the Emperor maintained total confidence in, as Durla remained absolutely loyal to him. Similarly, while he was one of the only actual friends Darth Vader had, he maintained a careful distance from the Dark Lord's own schemes, even outwitting two separate challenges Vader created made to see how easy it would be to remove the grand admiral, who was known as one of the Emperor’s perennial favorites. Both times, he outplayed the Dark Lord and Vader suffered painful rebukes from the Emperor.

While he was legendary for his intolerance of incompetence and inefficiency, as well as his disdain for excessive waste, Durla likewise knew that the Empire's vast resources meant that some assets could on occasion be considered expendable. One such example was his assent for Lord Vader to use the Star Destroyer Vector in Project I71A, also known as Project Blackwing. When the ship went missing in the Unknown Regions, he was, according to his senior staff, "uncharacteristically nonplussed at the loss of a Star Destroyer."

Post-Imperial Years
When the Emperor died at Endor, Durla departed Coruscant with his flagship and battle squadron for parts unknown. He left without fanfare or filing his travel itinerary, and disappeared. Throughout its time as the preeminent government of the galaxy, the New Republic searched exhaustively for the grand admiral and his ships, but never turned any leads. In later years, the forces of the First Order likewise scoured the galaxy in search of Durla, believing that were he still alive, he would be either an invaluable asset or a deadly threat to their plans, depending on how he would respond to an offer of service.

When emissaries of the First Order did at last locate Durla - though they had been baited to his location, and hadn't actually "found" him, as Durla knew they were seeking him - they approached the grand admiral on Nar Shaddaa and made him an offer. Though in his early seventies at this point, his physical strength remained, as did his mental sharpness, and Snoke considered him potentially a great asset to the cause, but couldn't say with certainty how he would respond to their overtures. Likewise, the Order was unaware that Durla had become a full Sith Lord in the interim years, and that he was considerably more powerful than they knew, having known of him as one of the Emperor's top military officers. The offer angered Durla, who told the officers calmly that there was only one authority he would obey - that of the Emperor himself. He injured both officers through casual use of the Force, and told them to go back to their master and tell him not to send any further envoys.

Angered, Snoke dispatched an elite force of troops under the command of Captain Phasma to attempt and take the grand admiral by force. Again finding him on Nar Shaddaa, they cornered him in the Exchange Hall on the Promenade, where a battle quickly ensued. Durla easily got the upper hand, using the Force to cloud the minds of the soldiers and cause them to shoot each other instead of him. Durla seized Phasma's mind through the Force, causing her to remove her helmet and nearly shoot herself in the head, releasing her only when he expressed amusement at how weak-minded she was for such a "high ranking member of the Order". The grand admiral sent Phasma on her way, alone, back to Snoke. Returning to her master, she reported Durla's response to the repeated offer - "When the Emperor, and no other, returns, I will obey his commands. I will serve no pretenders."

Sith Eternal
What the First Order did not know was that Durla had never truly left the Emperor's service. In secret, Sidious had been manipulating Snoke since the beginning, and the Order had been nothing more than another tool under his control. With Durla's support, the Emperor had been amassing a powerful fleet and preparing to retake the galaxy from the ancient Sith world of Exegol. During the interim years, the grand admiral's Force powers had been immensely increased under the Emperor's instruction, who had shown him the ways of the Sith and elevated him from his prior status as a long-time Dark Side Adept. The Emperor would refer to him from then on as "Lord Darth Bleda", naming him one of his new Sith advisers.

When the Resistance and the Free Worlds Fleets converged over Exegol, Durla raised the Sith Fleet and engaged the enemy forces from the command deck of his heavily modified flagship, the Allegiance. The battle raged for hours, until finally the rebelling forces gained the upper hand. Targeted by numerous heavy ships, the Allegiance was crippled and ultimately its power systems failed. Despite urging from his staff, Durla refused to leave the ship, and was killed when its reactors went into catastrophic failure. His last words, shortly before the Allegiance exploded, were spoke with his ignited lightsaber raised high - "In your name, my Emperor..."

The grand admiral's death on Exegol marked the collapse of another of the Elder Houses, as he was the last living descendant of the House of Durla. It was never determined what had been done with the family's vast fortunes in the years immediately following the collapse of the Galactic Empire, and eleven accounts, each estimated to contain several hundreds of trillions of credits, were never recovered.

Non-Canon
Durla died in 50 ABY, aged 100 years, at his secluded fortress on the Wild Space world of Zonju V. At his passing, he left behind a small enclave of Dark Side Adepts known as the Dark Sigil. He also left behind a sizable trove of Sith and Jedi artifacts, which he had spirited away from Coruscant after the fall of the Empire, acting on secret orders left to him by the Emperor in the event of his death. These artifacts, as well as leadership over the Sigil, he left entrusted to his grandson Janus, who was his sole living descendant.

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